Hands On: honor Zero Smartwatch

When honor launched the honor 7 in London, it didn’t come as a surprise; but no one expected the company to reveal that the honor Zero smartwatch will be making its way to Europe in the fourth quarter of 2015. The fact that consumers can decide what it will be called is even more surprising, seeing how the winner will get the opportunity to try out honor products for the next five years.

While this is very exciting news for fans of honor and smartwatches in general, how does the honor Zero fare as a smartwatch?

It’s worth noting that the honor Zero in this hands on is a prototype, which explains why the back case has Huawei’s logo instead of honor. Speaking of which, the aluminium case of the smartwatch gives it solid and reassuring build quality. It definitely feels like a premium offering. Surprisingly, it is also pretty light and slim.

Although the honor Zero features a circular design, it actually has a square display which is cleverly hidden; it is only noticeable when viewed at a certain angle under bright lighting. The display itself boasts very dark blacks thanks to the OLED panel.

Size-wise, the honor Zero is a pretty small smartwatch; my Casio wristwatch easily dwarfs the device. On the other hand, in comparison to the Pebble Time Steel, it doesn’t look quite as tiny. Those who prefer a minimalistic and simple smartwatch would love this smartwatch, although I’d prefer something a little more rugged like the LG G Watch R.

When it comes to functionality, the honor Zero is basically a Huawei TalkBand B2 without any physical button and the ability to function as an earpiece. The user interface is identical to the TalkBand B2, and so is its functionality. It is able to track the number of steps taken, monitor sleep quality, and also alert its user of incoming calls.

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Other noteworthy features of the honor Zero include three days of battery life, a touch display, and IP68 rating, which allows it to be submerged underwater up to 10 meter. As it doesn’t have any physical buttons, a simple tap would wake it up. Alternatively, I can shake my wrist to activate the display.

The honor Zero is a minimalistic device that will appeal to consumers who do not want a full-blown smartwatch such as the LG G Watch R or even the Apple Watch. Seeing how it could be making its way to Malaysia in the near future, its asking price will determine how appealing it would be to Malaysians.

Seeing how honor has always priced its product competitively, those who are looking for an affordable smartwatch will want to keep an eye on the honor Zero.